John McPherson

I can see what looks like a Trenton diamond in the last picture; oblique lighting would help.

To my jaundiced old eyes it looks like an iron cheerio-shaped ring rusted stuck in there: I am willing to bet that a suitably sized punch and light hammer would dislodge it PDQ.

I have seen all manner of things stuck in pritchel and hardy holes. It could be as simple as a mud dauber nest, or a seized piece of tubing.

CRS, it looks to me to be a hot cut chisel in a simple wedge shape, held by split bamboo instead of tongs, being struck by a helper with dog head hammer. (The assistant has his thumb on top of the handle. Flame wars: Go! ) The master is holding the blade with tongs in his gloved left hand.

If you own two vehicles, you will always be driving the wrong one when a bargain becomes available and needs immediate transport.

Your external commercial link will shortly be taken down by an admin: they are expressly forbidden in the site agreement. A guy reselling imported cast anvils out of 1053 (?), that has no say over the quality control, and offers no reasons why his are better or equal to those sold thru reputable dealers (with guarantees) for a similar price. What could go wrong? Color me skeptical. Get a lump of scrap steel for pennies a pound, or buy a real anvil from a real dealer with a real customer satisfaction record. You will be happier in the long run.

Sorry, no pics. Only own a stupid phone. Helped a friend with ongoing cleanup on his father's estate. (Packrat level: Epic.) Brought home a sandstone grinding wheel, rusty tripod pipe vise, Makita chop saw, Skil saw, extension cords, etc., for my help. Cleaned out 30 square feet. Another 10 or 12 pick-up + trailer loads and we can start on the upstairs of the two car garage - which has not had a car in it in 20 years.

You are already 18 months late on mine: get crackin'!

Some of the usual suspects were doing a striking demo at the 4th of July steam show, when the head of an 8 pound slegehammer flew +++THRU+++ the crowd to hit the back wall of the shop with a bang. Everybody froze, then stopped to check the heads on every other tool in the shop.

Oh, the stories that I could bore you with about problems with bottled gas from supposedly professional welding supply companies. Mis-labled contents, 30 bottles delivered and half were empty, obviously damaged tanks, you name it, I've seen it. TL, D Write. The lowest paid, lowest ranked, least supervised guy in the place is probably the loading dock bottle guy. Without a gas sniffer ($$$), you are at the mercy of the company as to what is in each bottle. Compare with a known bottle if you can, and send it back for a credit. If they get enough flak from customers, they will look into problems.

Wilkinson brand, crossed cannons logo (the hot dogs) Queens Dudley, from near London. Another branch of the family that made cutlery used crossed swords as a logo, and I think somebody still makes razor blades with that image.

OK, inquiring minds want to know: where does one acquire decent jika.-tabi work shoes or boots in the US? Just what I need to set off my Utili-Kilt. Oh, BTW, nice video. It shows what can be done with patience and hammer control. Note added: More on the footwear - click here

Stands to reason: if the Scots invented Uisge Beatha to get the taste of haggis out of your mouth, the Icelanders had to find something equally potent for the fermented shark.

Irondragon, as someone who enjoys an occasional dram, I had to look it up. They even make a sheep dung smoked Reserve: the mind boggles.

No, but there is a risk of leaving any crack un-filled. Cracks have a way of propogating. And have someone do a proper repair job on the face while you are at it.. If someone feels REALLY ambitious, fabricating a new heel at the same time would complete it. Knowledgeable welder time is a bargain at $25/hr, buddy rate on the weekend. Specialty rod is $10 - $25 per pound. You will end up grinding a sizable percentage away. Call it an 8 hour day, and 20 pounds of rod. Don't forget the cost of the propane weedburner, and cereamic blankets. All totaled, it could be done commercially for the low, low price of not much more than two new anvils would cost. Which is why major anvil repair is usually a labor of love, ignorance, arrogance, despair, or some combination.

As it has -zero- collectible value in this shape, it is a prime candidate for welding. Finding someone local who has a clue about welding wrought iron is the tough part.

#1 What is YOUR region? (Now, or a country of origin, or fantasy, or....) (Hint, hint, edit your profile.) #2 What is your time period? (Renaissance, Dark Ages, American Colonial, Third Age?) (Authentic, dare I say "Gin-U-Wine" Colonial Williamsburg Selfie Sticks!! Anyone? Bueller? Anyone?) Seriously, give us a little more to go on, if you expect detailed answers, or we will spitball random stuff all day for weeks.

No, it would distort and ruin the chiseled groove.

Yes you can buy new leg vises, but they are 5X what a good used one will run you.

I teach 32 year olds the difference between straight and phillips screwdriver bits, and that the washer that goes with a nut and bolt is different that the thing that your mom puts your clothes in. I wish I was joking. I have to take them from that point up to being fabricators and 6G pipe welders in two years. ****** ******Everyone should be thankful for something: I am glad that I am not a Baptist because this job is driving me to drink!

Would you be interested in sharing your grading scale? A quick search yeilded no useful results.

I go to work in the dark, I come home in the dark, on the rare weekend I am at home it has been freezing or raining: so I have a blacksmith club at school and have gullible minions willing students to pull out the forge, fill the slack tub, etc. and put it all away. And I put it down on my Professional Development as volunteer hours as Faculty Advisor.

Wilkinson, Queens Dudley, and the crossed cannons (or hot dogs) are all signs of a superior make of English anvil. Extra Quality means that when made, it was without visible flaw or blemish: not a second tier rough trade or journeyman anvil.

A relatively early John Brooks, then. Not an ASO. Never seen one without raised lettering. I have worked on, and refurbished more recent solid cast Brooks, with a much thicker heel, and raised lettering. Great anvils, all that I have encountered.

I would be happy to be proven wrong. Polish one inch of that transition area and do a mild acid etch: vinegar will work. If there is an abrupt change in grain structure, then you are indeed lucky. In twenty years of looking at anvils, I have never found an totally unmarked casting that was actually made with a steel face plate. Maybe you lucked upon a Swedish anvil with no visible makers mark. Maybe a real craftsman at a small foundry turned out great work after hours.